This fabulous event – Chefs at the Market – is tomorrow!

In the month of August, the California Heights Farmers Market and Gourmet Conspiracy are proud to present Chef Jason Stein of Parker’s Lighthouse as the featured Chef for the August 22nd “Chefs at the Market” event.

“I like to use simple, subtle, and flavorful ingredients to enhance the natural flavors of seafood,” notes Jason Stein, Executive Chef of Parkers’ Lighthouse. With an abundance of species to work with that are all delivered daily from local purveyors, he prides himself on his individuality in the preparation of his dishes, which include fresh wild Alaskan fish, local day boat caught fish, and Hawaii’s freshest fish. When he is not directing the fast-paced, high volume kitchen, he is visiting local farmers’ markets to see what is at the season’s best.

Chef Stein’s love of cooking began to form at a young age. As a child, he always enjoyed being in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother learning the subtleties of flavors and going through his grandmother’s spice rack, tasting all of the spices. Today, Chef Stein is always developing offerings that make the best use of sustainable seafood species and locally produced food products.

The Chefs at the Market events are held every fourth Sunday of each month and features top local chefs to the public with free cooking demonstrations.

Please come and join us on August 22nd at the California Heights Farmers Market to learn from Chef Stein. This is a FREE seminar so we encourage you to take advantage of it. Invite your friends and family to be a part of this educational experience. Chef Jason Stein will be providing copies of recipes of his demonstration which you can replicate at home using ingredients that you can purchase from the market.

For more information about Chefs at the Market, please contact Sam Paano via email sam.paano@gourmetconspiracy.com

The California Heights Farmers Market is held every Sunday 9am to 2pm, rain or shine at Longfellow Elementary School, 3800 Olive Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807. The entrance to the market can be found near California Avenue at Bixby Road.

For more information or directions to the California Heights Farmers Market, please visit the location page on this website.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Lots of eggplant in the garden and at the farmers market right now!  The standard has been olive oil, seasonings from Awaken Savor or the garden, grill.  Red pepper flakes, dried oregano – good, but what next?  Here is a winner from a fabulous magazine all cooks should subscribe to – Saveur!

Photo: Antoine Boot

(Caponata alla Siciliana)

SERVES 8

Eggplant is an extremely popular vegetable in Sicily, used in scores of ways, and sweet-and-sour flavors, as in this salad, are common to the island’s cuisine.

3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium eggplants, trimmed, peeled, 
and cut into small cubes
3 celery stalks, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped (optional)
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
3⁄4 cup capers
1 tbsp. pine nuts
1    6-oz. can oil-packed tuna, drained and broken 
up with a fork
1⁄2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1. Heat oil in a large, nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.

2. Transfer eggplant to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low, add celery and onions to skillet, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes to skillet, if using. Cover skillet and cook 10 minutes more. Return eggplant and all the accumulated juices to skillet.

3. Meanwhile, stir together vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute, then add to eggplant. Stir capers and pine nuts into skillet, cover, and cook 5 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat and set aside to cool, then mix in tuna and parsley. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Buy these from Park Fruit Farm Stand tomorrow!

These pluots are incredible!  They are freestone, firm and sweet.  Because of the natural sweetness, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar is all you need for a whole pie.  Sliced and tossed with the sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour and juice of one lemon, fill a pre-baked pie shell and place in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  While the pie is baking, cut up and saute very ripe apriums or whatever you have on the counter that needs to be eaten.  Pour over the pie and continue baking until fruit is very soft.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if you must.  Delicious all by itself!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Before:

The honeyed goat cheese, basil and tomato tart is a winner.  But on occasion there isn’t enough goat cheese on hand, thus inspiring a new version.  This morning a baked pie shell was filled with feta cheese from Ari’s Farm Stand, then sprinkled with Green Mermaid herbal blend from Awaken Savor’s Farm Stand, topped with about two baskets of Sungold Cherry tomatoes from the Green Lab Urban Farm on Long Beach Boulevard at Spring Street.  The tart is baked for 30 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are very soft, then topped with chiffonade of sorrel.  Delicious!!

After:

The Green Mermaid blend with basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, ancho pepper, celery seeds, paprika, garlic, flax seeds, green peppercorns and honey-adds a depth of flavor to the brightness of the feta and sungolds.  I love the combinations of Alicja’s products.  Well researched and thoughtfully presented, Awaken Savor offers such a large collection of herbal and spice blends, you could pick up a new one every week of the year!

The finished tart is a great brunch side dish and would be a satisfying meal if the sorrel salad were dressed with several ounces of crispy bacon.

Bon Appetite!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy catering…good fresh, whole food!

This amazing photo of Chef Paul Buchanan’s own personally grown heirloom tomatoes was taken by Sam Paano at the tomato tasting and cooking demo a few weeks back.  The rare “action” shot of expert seasoning, illustrates something Chef Paul emphasized during his presentation – the importance of throwing salt from a great distance to insure even distribution and avoid salt pile ups in one area.  The sporadic over salted nook or cranny caused by a less dramatic arc, is undesirable at best.

The platter, seasoned and drizzled with aged balsamic vinagre.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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A few weeks ago we, Long Beach Sunday Market in Cal Heights, hosted a pie baking contest.  The idea was to feature fruits in season and found in the markets right now.  While this particular pie was not entered in the contest, it has been vetted by market vendors and friends of the market as yummy.  The fresh in-season fruits and vegetables need very little preparation or seasoning.  This dish is a great example of a simple and fast way to present the sweetness of the golden sun-kissed orbs-Sungold Cherry Tomatoes!

Tomato Tart

1-Pre-baked pie crust

2-baskets Sungold cherry tomatoes

6-ounces chevre goat cheese

1-teaspoon honey

1-large handful basil leaves

Pre-bake a pie crust and don’t forget to use the baking weights or dried beans to hold up the sides.

Soften the goat cheese and stir in the honey.

When the pie crust is cool, spread the goat cheese on the bottom.  Top with shredded or chiffonade of basil then pile on the tomatoes.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft.  Serve with lightly dressed baby greens.  Some salt and pepper in the salad, but none has been used in the tart and it tastes great every time!  Bon Appetite!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Hello friends!   We are hosting another pie contest to showcase the summer fruit you can now find in sweet abundance at the farmers markets.  Last week on the stands there were cherries, peaches, figs, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pluots, apriums, nectarines, plums and so much more!

Please deliver your pies to the tent near the lunch benches by 11am, judging and delighted sighs will ensue with winners announced at 1pm by the band.

Hope to see a great crowd this Sunday with lots to see and do at market…from the Raw Milk Seminar, Pie Contest and Live Jazz to the great produce and food.

We are also welcoming several new vendors over the next few weeks.  Fresh Pasta is now available!  The butternut squash ravioli is delicious with a brown butter – sage sauce.  And the fresh semolina-raspberry cookies are yummy as well!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Salad Dressing

Combine:
2 tbsp of the Awaken Savor, Five-Seed-Salad Mix
1/4 cup of pomegranate or orange juice,
1/4 cup of olive oil.
Let stand for 5 -10 minutes, stir well before drizzling over your favorite lettuce.Spice of the

Flavor your healthy salads with civilization’s best flavors. This is a powerful dressing with multiple benefits: it contains high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, and vitamin E, as well as being lip smacking good. With the addition of pomegranate juice—a great source of antioxidants—and extra virgin olive oil that lowers LDL cholesterol and may help to prevent coronary heart disease, this is a full of goodness power salad dressing.

Primary ingredients of this salad dressing are the 5 seeds: sesame, chia, flax, poppy, tukmaria seeds. Each of the seeds is known for its goodness.
Sesame seeds, a nutty flavor, rich in manganese, copper, and calcium and contain vitamin B1 and vitamin E.
Chia Seeds use as a high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs.
Flax seeds contain high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids but very low in carbohydrates, making it ideal for people who limit their intake of starches and sugars.

Poppy seeds also act as source of Omega-3 fatty acids as well as for a variety of minerals like iodine, manganese, magnesium, zinc and copper.

Tukmaria seeds are known to be great for digestion after a heavy meal.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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This may very well be the last week for cherries!  Run, don’t walk to the market and grab a couple of quarts, you won’t be sorry.  Mark Peel from Campanile shared a preserved cherry recipe a few weeks back on the Good Food show…it went something like this:

Preserved Cherries-

Chef Mark Peel of Campanile and Tar Pit loves cherry season.  He brandies them.  Clean the cherries well, and saute them with sugar and brandy.  Leave the pits in.  Cool them quickly in an ice bath and then seal them in jars.  To serve, heat up the mixture and stir in a little butter to emulsify it and serve over ice cream.  Pit the cherries before they are served.

Here is another recipe…though I like the idea of leaving the pits in.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. cherries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4 cardamom pods
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 whole allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup brandy
• 1-quart jar with lid

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan bring sugar water, lemon juice, and spices to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
2. Turn off heat. Stir in brandy and cherries.
3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cherries to 1-quart jar. Pour liquid over cherries to cover. Twist on lid.
4. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes, let cool, and store in a cool, dark place (such as a cupboard) 6 weeks before using. Once opened, keep chilled. Alternatively, you can forego the hot-water processing and store in the refrigerator.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Long Beach Sunday Market in California Heights is hosting a summer pie contest. The first event, which took place on opening day November 22nd, was a rousing success with over 30 entries! And don’t be intimidated to join in – a 4th grader took 3rd place with his interpretation of Joy of Cooking’s Key Lime Pie.

If you attend the market this coming Sunday you will be able to pick up the last of this season’s cherries, which I highly recommend doing…contest or not. The short but sweet cherry season may be over, but if you are going to do your marketing the week before the contest on Sunday July 11th-you may consider pluots, peaches, plums, and berries! This time of year is the most wonderful time for fresh fruit…the kind you can’t get at the grocery store. The market fruit is picked and brought to you just before it peaks, and the varieties available are not bred for holding, but for flavor! Don’t miss the selection and be daring-try something new!

To enter the pie contest-

Stop by the information booth Sunday June 27 or Sunday July 11th (market closed on July 4th), or sign up on the website Long Beach Sunday Market. Just enter “pie contest” in the subject line.

Pies should be made with fresh fruit of the season and delivered to the judging area no later than 11 am, with winners announced a little later around 1pm. Stick around do some shopping and have a sandwich, taco or crepe! Results will also be tweeted to facebook so errant winners can hustle back to the market to pick up their prizes!!

In addition to the pie baking festivities, the July 18th market will feature live Jazzy-Bluegrass tunes by Timbreline and Chef Denter of Culinary Coach will be back with those famous banh mi and fried egg sandwiches!! For more information please email LBSM@me.com

The Long Beach Sunday Farmers Market in California Heights is located on the play ground of Longfellow Elementary School. Maps address is 3800 Olive, 90807, while the actual location is on California at Bixby Road, between Atlantic Ave and Orange Ave. It is a weekly certified farmers market and will be held every Sunday from 9am to 2pm. Farmers, Food, Crafts, Chess, Face Painting, School Groups, Tot Lot, Community!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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